Method of and  apparatus for



Feb. 14, 1939. E. WENSLEY METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING ARTICLES Filed Nov 25, 1936 n1 my INVF/VTOR E Wf/VSLEY I w m A77'0R/VEY Patented Feb. 14, 1939 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING ARTICLES Earl Wensley, Chicago, 111., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 25, 1936, Serial No. 112,668

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for forming articles, and more particularly to a method of and apparatus for forming cables.

In the manufacture of electrical equipment such as, for example, telephone subscribers sets or radio receiving sets and the like, various pieces of electrical apparatus mounted somewhat closely together must be interconnected in accordance with a predetermined plan to provide the proper circuit connections between the Various associated pieces of apparatus. When such articles are made in large quantities, it is frequently desirable to form cables comprised of various wires for interconnecting the pieces of apparatus in a unit, and this cable is usually in the form of a group of insulated strands of wire tied or sewed together and having their ends extending at spaced points from the cable formed by the sewed together group, which ends are connected to the terminals of the pieces of apparatus in the unit after the pieces of apparatus have been assembled. If the cable is made up as a unitary structure, the assembly and interconnection of the various pieces of apparatus is materially expedited. I

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and expeditious method of and an economically constructed apparatus for forming articles.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention as applied to the forming of cables for subscribers telephone sets, a rotatable drum is provided having a plurality of fiat surfaces in which pins or nails may be secured in accordance with a predetermined pattern and about which the insulated conductors forming the cable for the subscribers set may be wound to properly locate the terminal ends of the wire and to group a number of wires which are to be sewn or tied together. In the process of forming the cable, a strand drawn from a suitable source of supply is fixed to one of the pins and then strung around others of the pins on the various surfaces, the drum being rotated to present a new surface to the person winding the cable and the Wire being wrapped about the proper pins as the drum is rotated, and until the drum has been rotated through one or more complete revolutions, whereupon the end of the wire is cut off and another wire is then strung about the pins to form a series of strands extending around the drum and about the proper pins on the various faces of the drum. After the desired number of insulated conductors have been so wound, those wires which are to be grouped together in the finished cable may be bound together by wrappings of thread or cord, whereupon the wires may be clipped at predetermined places to thus provide a group of similar or identical local cables.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a latching means is provided for holding the drum in any one of its rotated positions, and portions of the drum not being worked upon are enclosed in a resiliently supported cover.

A better understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the following specification when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is an end elevational View of a forming apparatus made in accordance with the invention and adapted to be used in the method constituting the invention; and 1 Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Referring noW to the drawing wherein likereference characters designate the same parts throughout the several views, the numeral 5 indicates generally a cable forming drum having decagonal heads 6 and l to which ten cable forming boards 8 are removably secured by means of socket screws 4 positioned in shouldered apertures 3 in the boards 8 and threaded in the heads 6 and l. Mounted upon the heads 6 and l are a pair of trunnions 9 and 10 for rotatably supporting the drum in two bearings H and i2 mounted upon a pair of channel shaped standards I 3 and M, respectively.

The standards l3 and I4 carry adjacent their upper ends a pair of angle members l5 and 16 which extend horizontally beyond the outer surfaces of the drum and partially enclose a pair of coil springs 2| and 22. The springs 2i and 22 are not fixed to the angle members l5 and HS but have their ends secured to a pair of semicylindrical cover plates 23 and 24 pivoted on the standards 13 and M at 2525. The cover plates are normally urged by the springs 2| and 22 into engagement with the ends of the angle members I5 and it and serve to enclose and shield the lower portions of the drum which are not being worked upon.

Secured to the under surface of the angle member I6 is a bracket 26 carrying a leaf spring 21. The leaf spring 21 has at its upper end (Fig. 1) a stop member 28 which is normally urged into one of the apertures 3 of the boards 8. A rod 29 is fixed to the spring 21 intermediate its ends and interconnects it with a control bar 30 which is slidable in a pair of brackets 3| and 32 mounted upon the angle member I6. The control bar 30 is equipped with a handle 33 at its leftend (Fig. 1) and with apush button34 at its right end (Fig. 1) whereby it may be manipulated from either the right or left side of the drum. Mounted upon the bar 30 is a latch 35 which, upon operation of the bar to. move the stop member 23 out of one of the apertures 3, will become effective to hold the stop member in an inoperative position due to the fact that the latch 35 is pivoted eccentrically on the bar 30 and when the bar 30 is moved to the left (Fig. 1) the latch will drop intoithe position shown in dotted lines Fig. 1) to lock the bar 30 in its inoperative position.

Each of the boards 8 has a number of pins .40 driven into the outer surface thereof, about which strands of wire may be :strung in .the process of forming a cable. Due to theiactfthat the cables are wound around thedrum and that there would be a tendencyjfor them to take the shortest distance between two of the pins .40, sleeves 4| have been placed around certain of the pins and the wires may be-strungaround=zthe pins above the sleeve and thereby held away from the surface of the boards 8 thereby to facilitate- -thetying of thercables together.

In practicing the method of thezpresent invention, the boards 18 having pins :40 mounted thereon in the .desired locations may be positioned upon the heads .6 and land .after the drum has -thus-been prepared, aplurality of similar cables ;may be formed upon the .drum. In forming the cables :an operator may withdraw a wire having insulation tthereon of a predetermined colorfrom a source of supply (not shown) and afterwindingitabout pins on the board on thedrum which is:most readilyaccessible to :the operator, the drum having been lockedzin one of its:rotated:positionsby means of the stop 28, the stop may be momentarily released and the-drum rotatediinthe next position,.and after the strand of -wire has-been wound:around the desired'pins on the-most accessible board18, the drum maybe rotated to another position until the Wire has beenstrung about pins on each of the ten boards 8, orif .the wire is to be wound about only a few pins oneachboard, thelatch may bedropped in :place so that .the drum is freely rotatable .in the bearings zll and I2, and the strand of wire having thusbeen wound around the .pins on each of the .boards,'it:may be severed from .the'supply thereof and a wiring having insulation of :another color may thenvbe wound aboutcertainsof the-pins -.on.-each of theiboards. :After the required number of strands :of wire have .been wound :about the pins 40, the :portions of :the wire which :in the finished cable are to be sewn together'may be sewn or tied in the conventional manner, and after the cables are thus formed they may be cutasrequired to provide a plurality of separate small cables.

Obvious'l-vif it is desired to :make a number of cables-of such size that they would'not readily fit on one of the boards "8, the-pins may be so arranged as to form the desired number of cables.

This and other modifications of the'method or apparatus maybe made withoutdeparting from the scopeof the-appended claims.

What isclaimed is:

1. The method of forming cables which-comprises stringing'a plurality of wires around pins positioned on a cylindrical member, binding "together predetermined ones of said wires, cutting the wires at predetermined points, and=rotating the cylindrical member-tobring selected portions thereof adjacent to the operator.

12.'The method of forming cables which comprises ;placing a :plurality of pins in predeterminedpositions ona cylindrical member, rotating the cylindrical member intermittently 't'orbring selected portions thereof :adjacent to the operator, stringing a plurality of wires aboutqthepins in a predetermined manner, binding grouped wires together at spaced intervals, and cutting the wires at predetermined points.

3. The method of forming cables which comprises placing a plurality of pins in predetermined positions on a cylindrical member, stringing a plurality of insulated wires about said pins, ffastening predetermined ones of the wires to- .gether, :cutting the wires at predetermined points, and rotating the cylindrical member intermittently to bring selected portions thereof adjacent to the operator performing the stringing, fastening and cutting operations.

14. .The method .of .;forming cables comprising placinga plurality of pins in predetermined positions on a cylindrical member, fixing a wire to one of :said .pins, rotating said cylindrical memher to :a plurality of .rotative positions, stringing the "wire around-predetermined ones of said pins while the cylindrical member is in predetermined ones-ofits positions, repeating the stringing operation witha pluralityof other wires, tying the wires together to :form .a plurality of connected cables, .andicutting the wires at predetermined points ,to .provide a plurality of separate cables.

5. The method ;of ,forming cables comprising placing groups of wire supporting elements in predetermined positions upon a'cylindrical member, rotating the cylindrical member, stringing wires severally-around predetermined supporting elements concurrently with the rotation of the cylindrical member, .binding predetermined ones of saidwires together at predetermined portions thereof, and cutting the wires intermediate the bound together portions.

6. The method of forming cables comprising placing .grou ps 'of :wire supporting elements in predeterminedpositions upon a cylindrical member, rotating :the cylindrical member, stringing -s e ly around predetermined supporting elements during the rotation-of .the cylindrical member, holding the cylindrical member in;predetermined :rotative positions, .binding predetermined 'onesxof gsaid rwires together at predetermined portions thereof while the cylindrical member is held in its rotative positions, and cutting .the ,wires intermediate the bound together portions.

'LA -;cable forming apparatus comprising a supporting frame, a drum rotatable in said frame, -a;-plurality-of wire supporting members positioned upon the sur-faces of said drum, and means for lockingltheidrumin .aplurality of rotative positions, including .a ylatch rod operable from-either side of -.the drum.

:8. A cable forming apparatus comprising a supporting frame, -;a drum rotatable in said frame, :a plurality -;of --wire supporting members positioned uponzthe surface of .saiddrum, means for locking .the drum .in 1 a plurality of rotative positions "including :,a latch rod operable from either ,side of the -;drum,-and -a pair .of guard members .normally .urged into proximity with said;drum.

19.,A cable :forming apparatus comprising a supporting frameua drum rotatablein saidframe, a: plurality of wirelsupporting members positioned upon 1 t-hessurface-of :said drum, :means for locking the .drumrin :a plurality ;of rotative :positions includingaa:latch-rodoperable from :either side of the .drum, -a pair ,of semi-cylindrical members pivoted 'to .said z frame and resilient means tending :to holdsaidmembers closely adjacent said drum.

:EARL WENSLEY. 

